• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.53 no.1
• /
• pp.89-104
• /
• 2015

In current bridge management systems (BMSs), load and speed restrictions are applied on unhealthy bridges to keep the structure safe and serviceable for as long as possible. But the question is, whether applying these restrictions will always decrease the internal forces in critical components of the bridge and enhance the safety of the unhealthy bridges. To find the answer, this paper for the first time in literature, looks into the design aspects through studying the changes in demand by capacity ratios of the critical components of a bridge under the train loads. For this purpose, a structural model of a simply supported bridge, whose dynamic behaviour is similar to a group of real railway bridges, is developed. Demand by capacity ratios of the critical components of the bridge are calculated, to identify their sensitivity to increase of speed and magnitude of live load. The outcomes of this study are very significant as they show that, on the contrary to what is expected, by applying restriction on speed, the demand by capacity ratio of components may increase and make the bridge unsafe for carrying live load. Suggestions are made to solve the problem.

• Smart Structures and Systems
• /
• v.31 no.5
• /
• pp.501-516
• /
• 2023

Dynamic irregularity and acceleration of bridges subjected to high-speed trains provide crucial information for comprehensive evaluation of the health state of under-track structures. This paper proposes a novel approach for real-time estimation of vertical track dynamic irregularity and bridge acceleration using deep generative adversarial network (GAN) and vibration data from in-service train. The vehicle-body and bogie acceleration responses are correlated with the two target variables by modeling train-bridge interaction (TBI) through least squares generative adversarial network (LSGAN). To realize supervised learning required in the present task, the conventional LSGAN is modified by implementing new loss function and linear activation function. The proposed approach can offer pointwise and accurate estimates of track dynamic irregularity and bridge acceleration, allowing frequent inspection of high-speed railway (HSR) bridges in an economical way. Thanks to its applicability in scenarios of high noise level and critical resonance condition, the proposed approach has a promising prospect in engineering applications.

• Smart Structures and Systems
• /
• v.21 no.5
• /
• pp.637-652
• /
• 2018

This paper presents a comparative study of displacement measurement using four sensors that are being used in the field: they are a ring gauge, a laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV), a vision-based displacement measurement system (VDMS), and an optoelectronic displacement meter (ODM). The comparative study was carried out on a brand-new high-speed railroad bridge designed to produce displacements within a couple of millimeters under the loading of a high-speed train. The tests were carried out on a single-span steel plate girder bridge two times with different train loadings: KTX and HEMU. The measured displacement is compared as raw and further discussion was made on the measurement noise, peak displacement, and frequency response of four sensors. The comparisonsare summarized to show the pros and cons of the used sensors in measuring displacement at a typical high-speed railroad bridge.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.27 no.2
• /
• pp.161-175
• /
• 2018

In this study, in-situ dynamic tests of the world's longest steel box tied-arch bridge over the Yangtze River, China, are reported. The double deck bridge supports highway and monorail systems at upper and lower levels, respectively. Strain, displacement, and acceleration responses were measured and used to investigate the vibration characteristics of the bridge when excited by running trains and/or trucks at a speed of 5-60 km/h, train braking, and truck bouncing. Impact factors were correlated with the running speed of trains and trucks. A three-dimensional finite element model of the coupled monorail-train-bridge vibration system accounting for track irregularities was established to understand the system behavior and validated by the experimental results. Truck bouncing was the dominant impact factor on bridge responses. The running speed of vehicles determined the riding comfort of traveling trains.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.38 no.3
• /
• pp.301-314
• /
• 2011

The paper constitutes the second part of the author's study. The first part (Podworna 2010) formulates four fundamental tasks in dynamics of the bridge-track-train systems. The following cyclic moving loads are considered: a concentrated forces stream (model P), an unsprung masses stream (model M), a single-mass viscoelastic oscillators stream (model $M_o$) and a double-mass viscoelastic oscillators stream (model $MM_o$). Three problems precluding to the numerical simulations have been developed, i.e., prediction of the forced resonances, the parameters of integration of equations of motion, the output results. A computer programme was written in Pascal and numerical research in the scope of the fundamental tasks was worked out. The investigations were focused on adequacy evaluation of the moving load models, P, M, $M_o$, $MM_o$, in predicting dynamic processes in railway bridges.

• Smart Structures and Systems
• /
• v.21 no.5
• /
• pp.695-703
• /
• 2018

Based on monitoring data collected from the Nanjing Dashengguan Bridge over the last five years, this paper systematically investigates the effects of temperature field and train loadings on the structural responses of this long-span high-speed railway bridge, and establishes the early warning thresholds for various structural responses. Then, some lessons drawn from the structural health monitoring system of this bridge are summarized. The main context includes: (1) Polynomial regression models are established for monitoring temperature effects on modal frequencies of the main girder and hangers, longitudinal displacements of the bearings, and static strains of the truss members; (2) The correlation between structural vibration accelerations and train speeds is investigated, focusing on the resonance characteristics of the bridge at the specific train speeds; (3) With regard to various static and dynamic responses of the bridge, early warning thresholds are established by using mean control chart analysis and probabilistic analysis; (4) Two lessons are drawn from the experiences in the bridge operation, which involves the lacks of the health monitoring for telescopic devices on the beam-end and bolt fractures in key members of the main truss.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• v.48 no.2
• /
• pp.207-233
• /
• 2023

Steel-concrete composite box girder bridges are widely used in the construction of highway and railway bridges both domestically and abroad due to their advantages of being light weight and having a large spanning ability and very large torsional rigidity. Composite box girder bridges exhibit the effects of shear lag, restrained torsion, distortion and interface bidirectional slip under various loads during operation. As one of the most commonly used calculation tools in bridge engineering analysis, one-dimensional models offer the advantages of high calculation efficiency and strong stability. Currently, research on the one-dimensional model of composite beams mainly focuses on simulating interface longitudinal slip and the shear lag effect. There are relatively few studies on the one-dimensional model which can consider the effects of restrained torsion, distortion and interface transverse slip. Additionally, there are few studies on vehicle-bridge integrated systems where a one-dimensional model is used as a tool that only considers the calculations of natural frequency, mode and moving load conditions to study the dynamic response of composite beams. Some scholars have established a dynamic analysis model of a coupled composite beam bridge-train system, but where the composite beam is only simulated using a Euler beam or Timoshenko beam. As a result, it is impossible to comprehensively consider multiple complex force effects, such as shear lag, restrained torsion, distortion and interface bidirectional slip of composite beams. In this paper, a 27 DOF vehicle rigid body model is used to simulate train operation. A two-node 26 DOF finite beam element with composed box beams considering the effects of shear lag, restrained torsion, distortion and interface bidirectional slip is proposed. The dynamic analysis model of the coupled composite box girder bridge-train system is constructed based on the wheel-rail contact relationship of vertical close-fitting and lateral linear creeping slip. Furthermore, the accuracy of the dynamic analysis model is verified via the measured dynamic response data of a practical composite box girder bridge. Finally, the dynamic analysis model is applied in order to study the influence of various mechanical effects on the dynamic performance of the vehicle-bridge system.

• Smart Structures and Systems
• /
• v.23 no.3
• /
• pp.263-278
• /
• 2019

Moving train load parameters, including train speed, axle spacing, gross train weight and axle weights, are identified based on strain-monitoring data. In this paper, according to influence line theory, the classic moving force identification method is enhanced to handle time-varying velocity of the train. First, the moments that the axles move through a set of fixed points are identified from a series of pulses extracted from the second derivative of the structural strain response. Subsequently, the train speed and axle spacing are identified. In addition, based on the fact that the integral area of the structural strain response is a constant under a unit force at a unit speed, the gross train weight can be obtained from the integral area of the measured strain response. Meanwhile, the corrected second derivative peak values, in which the effect of time-varying velocity is eliminated, are selected to distribute the gross train weight. Hence the axle weights could be identified. Afterwards, numerical simulations are employed to verify the proposed method and investigate the effect of the sampling frequency on the identification accuracy. Eventually, the method is verified using the real-time strain data of a continuous steel truss railway bridge. Results show that train speed, axle spacing and gross train weight can be accurately identified in the time domain. However, only the approximate values of the axle weights could be obtained with the updated method. The identified results can provide reliable reference for determining fatigue deterioration and predicting the remaining service life of railway bridges.

• Journal of Ship and Ocean Technology
• /
• v.10 no.3
• /
• pp.36-48
• /
• 2006

The train ferry, accommodating trains roll on and off, is often called as 'Railway on the Sea' or 'Blue High-way' since she can connect the railways or roads segregated by the sea and improve the accessibility and continuity of land transport systems. The ferry is especially appropriate to the intermodal transport routes mostly passing through the land but have relatively short sea segment. As the train ferry can considerably reduce the cost and time for cargo handling and modal shift and unnecessitates excessive initial investment on infrastructures such as large harbor cranes or vast container yards, introduction of train Ro-Ro ferries lessen the total transport cost for door-to-door transportation with full exploitation of the existing railway system. All the ports placed in Shandong, Liaoning and Jiangsu provinces of China are connected to the hinterlands via well developed railway and road systems. Therefore, realization of the Incheon-Yantai train ferry system will link Korea railways to TCR and the 4,131-kilometer-long Longhai-Lanxin Railway, along the famous Eurasian Continental Bridge. In the present paper, the Incheon-Yantai train ferry will be introduced as a good example of an efficient multimodal short sea shipping system for Northeast Asia.

• Proceedings of the KSR Conference
• /
• 2011.05a
• /
• pp.1526-1532
• /
• 2011

Railway bridges are highly susceptible to resonance due to the equidistant axle load with constant speed of train. Thus, it is necessary to verify dynamic characteristics and quantities against dynamic guidelines. Recently, many newly developed bridge systems have been developed for medium span length between 30m and 40m. However, less variety of bridge systems are available for span length between 45m and 50m. Steel box girder is considered as an alternative for span length between 45m and 50m. This study is to investigate the dynamic properties and safety of steel box railway bridge. Modal properties are extracted and moving load analyses are performed using mode superposition method. The results are then compared to various standards.